In a new study published in Translational Psychiatry, Dr. Huda Akil and colleagues studied mice during their first exposure to social stress and followed how they responded to repeated stress over time. Using technology that permanently labeled neurons active during that first encounter, the researchers mapped activity across 66 brain regions.

They found distinct patterns of brain activity during the first stressful encounter that were associated with whether the mice later showed more susceptible or resilient behavior. Higher initial activity in one region of the hypothalamus was also associated with more resilient social behavior after repeated stress.

Why it matters: The study suggests that vulnerability and resilience may begin to diverge at the level of brain activity from the first exposure to significant stress. Understanding those early differences could help researchers investigate the biological processes that make some individuals more vulnerable and others more resilient.

Important context: This is an animal study. The findings should not be interpreted as a predictive test for depression in people; they provide a foundation for further research into the biology of stress, vulnerability and resilience.

Huda Akil, Ph.D., University of Michigan, is a member of HDRF’s Depression Task Force.

Source: Distinct patterns of neural activity during initial defeat encounter are predictive of future susceptibility or resilience to chronic defeat, Translational Psychiatry.